AGRICULTURAL CONDITIONS IN SOUTHERN NEW YORK. 5 



(-l(>ariii«i; began in the eastern part of the area some time before it 

 (H(l in the western. The original timber on the land was very largely 

 phie and hemlock, with considerable oak, chestnut, and maple. 

 Timber has now largely disappeared from the level hilltops, but is 

 still found along the edges of the streams, the hard woods being most 

 prominent. 



The soils on these higher lands are mostly what are known as the 

 Volusia loam and the Volusia silt loam and are composed largely of 

 native rock. They are rather light in color and fine in texture, espe- 

 cially the silt loam, and there are mixed with them considerable 

 quantities of broken shale rock. These soils are not infertile, but their 

 physical condition is usually poor. The valley soils are usually grav- 

 elly loams composed of the wash from the hills, and as a rule are quite 

 productive. 



HISTORY OF THE UNPRODUCTIVE LANDS. 



Wlieat was the first market crop grown by the earl}^ settlers in 

 southern New York, and the clearing of a piece of ground was usually 

 followed at once by the sowing of this grain, and the following spring 

 \)y the seeding of clover. A team of oxen or horses with a few head 

 of cattle consumed the hay. Oats and barley soon came to be grown 

 as well as wheat, and it was not long before corn and potatoes were 

 added to these cro])s. This system of farming, with a few modifica- 

 tions, was followed up to the close of the civil war. Soon after this 

 the competition with large areas of w^estern grain lands began to be 

 felt, and as the price of wheat fell the area devoted to it was reduced. 

 Barley was substituted in its place, and this crop formed an impor- 

 tant one up to about 1875 or 1S80. As a rule, clover was still grown 

 in connection with the barley, and the hay was fed to a few stock. In 

 some sections sheep were kept. The price of barley soon became 

 very low, and it was not long before the growing of any kind of grain 

 for sale was practically abandoned. 



About this time there began to be a market for hay. Unfortu- 

 nately, the demand was principally for timothy, and clover was either 

 used in smaller quantities in the seeding or was dropped altogether. 

 Since timothy hay does not come to its best the first year, meadows 

 were cut longer, and the time of leaving the meadow down was 

 gradually lengthened until the timothy ran out and there was 

 practically nothing but weeds left to cut. 



A decline in the price of wool about 1S90 made sheep raising 

 un])rofitable, and since there was then little market for mutton, a 

 dual-j)urpose breed of sheep was not introduced, nor has it since been, 

 except in a few instances. At that time cattle for beef could not be 

 raised successfully in competition with the western ranches, and as the 



[Cir. t;i] 



